It is sometimes desirable to replay a sequence of video images in slow motion. For example, a user may provide input that specifies the extent to which the replayed video images should be slowed. In instances in which mono audio signals have been captured and are associated with the video images, the replay of the audio signals may correspondingly be slowed to the same extent that the replay of the video images is slowed.
Increasingly, however, stereo or multi-channel audio signals are captured and associated with a sequence of video images. In an instance in which video images that are associated with stereo or multi-channel audio signals are replayed in slow motion, it may be somewhat problematic to properly replay the stereo or multi-channel audio signals in a manner that maintains synchronization with the slowed video images. In this regard, synchronization may apply not only to the relative timing of the audio signals and the video images, but also to the synchronization of the direction associated with the audio signals relative to the location of the source of the audio signals within the video images.
The replay of audio signals at a slower speed in conjunction with video images that are displayed in slow motion may be problematic as stereo or multi-channel audio signals generally sound unnatural when played at a different speed. In order to permit the audio signals to sound more natural, the audio signals may be played at standard speed, but the audio signals will then be out of synchronization relative to the corresponding video images that are replayed in slow motion. Various techniques have been developed in an effort to facilitate changes in the audio playback speed, but these techniques may only provide audio signals with reasonable quality in instances in which the audio signals and the corresponding video images are slowed to about half speed and generally do not maintain synchronization with audio signals that continue to sound natural in instances in which the audio signals and the corresponding video images are slowed to a greater degree.